Upsells

Upsells let you recommend extra products to customers who already have a subscription, and let them add the product to their subscription in one click, either on every delivery or on their next order only. They are one of the easiest ways to grow average order value from subscribers you already have. This guide explains how upsell offers work, where they appear, and how to create one.


To find upsells, go to Supr Bundles & Subscriptions > Grow and open Upsells and cross-sells.


Table of contents



How upsells work


An upsell offer shows an existing subscriber a recommended product. If they accept, the product is added to their subscription, with no separate checkout, and it is charged with their normal subscription billing. You can attach a discount to make the offer more tempting, and choose whether the product joins every delivery or only the next one.


Where upsells appear


Upsells are shown to existing subscribers, in the places you tick under Placements:


  • Customer portal: a You might also like section when a subscriber manages their subscription, with an Add to subscription (or Add to next order) button and a Dismiss button.
  • Renewal reminder email: in the email sent before an upcoming renewal.
  • Subscription started email: in the welcome email sent when someone subscribes.


In the portal the product is added as soon as the customer clicks the button. From an email, the customer lands on a page showing what they are adding and how their subscription total changes, and confirms there. The emails only carry upsells while those emails are switched on under Settings > Notifications.


Upsells show in the subscription portal inside Shopify customer accounts. The legacy customer portal does not show them.


Upsells are aimed at current subscribers, so they appear in the customer portal and in emails, not on your product pages or at checkout. For product-page extras, see Extras on the product page and at checkout.


Recurring or next order only


Each upsell offer has a Cadence:


  • Recurring: the product is added to the subscription permanently and ships with every delivery.
  • One-time: the product is added to the next order only, then removed. The customer's button reads Add to next order. This is how a subscriber adds an occasional extra to a single delivery without it repeating.


Targeting and recommendations


  • Trigger (under When to show): which subscriptions see the offer. Choose Any subscription, Subscriptions containing specific products, or Subscriptions containing products from collections.
  • Recommendation source (under What to recommend): what to offer, either Specific products or Products from a collection.


Discounts


In the Discount card, set the Type to No discount, Percentage off, Amount off, or Fixed price, and enter the Value.


Stack with other discounts decides what happens when a subscription already has a discount. On, the offer shows as usual. Off, the offer is hidden from subscriptions that already have a discount applied.


Creating an upsell offer


  1. Go to Supr Bundles & Subscriptions > Grow, open Upsells and cross-sells, and click Create offer.
  2. Enter an Internal name. It is for your reference only, customers do not see it.
  3. Tick the Placements where the offer should appear.
  4. Under When to show, set the Trigger.
  5. Under What to recommend, choose the Recommendation source and pick the product(s) or collection.
  6. Optionally set a Discount.
  7. Choose the Cadence: Recurring or One-time.
  8. Set Status to Active. An offer left on Draft is saved but not shown to anyone.
  9. Click Save.


Extras on the product page and at checkout


Upsells do not appear on product pages or at checkout. For extras at the moment of purchase, use these instead:


  • Add-ons on a bundle option: optional tickboxes under the selected option, such as "Add a brush for $5", priced at full price, a discount, or free. The closest thing to "frequently bought together". See Free gifts and add-ons.
  • Free gifts on a bundle option: a gift added when an option is chosen, for the first order only or on every order.
  • A Fixed bundle option: sell the main product together with the extra as a set, one-time or on subscription.


At checkout: Shopify only lets stores on Shopify Plus customise the checkout page, and the app has no checkout or post-purchase upsell. Checkout and post-purchase upsell apps add products to the order, so they usually do not become part of the subscription.


Common questions


Can I upsell to subscribers?
Yes. Create an upsell offer under Grow > Upsells and cross-sells. It appears in the customer portal and in the renewal reminder and subscription started emails, and subscribers add the product in one click.


I created an upsell, but it does not show on the product page. Why?
That is expected. Upsells target existing subscribers in the portal and emails. For product-page extras, use add-ons or free gifts on a bundle option. See Extras on the product page and at checkout.


My upsell does not show in the portal or emails.
Check its Status is Active, the right Placements are ticked, and the subscription matches the Trigger. With Stack with other discounts off, subscriptions that already have a discount do not see it. For emails, check the email is switched on under Settings > Notifications.


Can a subscriber add a one-off item to their next delivery without it repeating?
Yes. Create an upsell offer with Cadence set to One-time. It is added to the next order only, then removed. You can also add or remove products on a subscription yourself, see Editing a Subscription Contract.


Can I show upsells at checkout, or use a post-purchase upsell app?
Checkout can only be customised on Shopify Plus, and the app has no checkout upsell. Post-purchase upsell apps add to the order, not to the subscription, so the extra usually does not repeat on renewals.


Can subscribers add any product to their subscription themselves?
Yes, if you turn on Add products under Settings > Customer portal. Upsells are for recommending specific products, optionally with a discount.



Updated on: 09/25/2026

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